In December, the Government released a list of 5000 Churches which have benefitted from the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. The Bracknell News discovered that St John’s is on that list and contacted us to find out more.
Steve Pope spoke to Nick Clark, the reporter who wrote an article for the Bracknell News on the repair of the stained glass window in the Lady Chapel.
Nick’s report subsequently appeared on the BBC News website. This was picked up by the daughter of a Crowthorne resident who lives in Australia!
Steve has since been asked to appear on BBC Radio Berkshire and also on TV Thames Valley.
Although the original item in the list of grants referred to£733 having been received between August 2022 and now, the news articles have focused on the repair of the stained glass windows which were completed in2019. At that time we received £1,683 from the LPWGS and £5,000 from the Kempe Trust. The rest was raised locally.
Extract from the minutes of the APCM meeting on 29th April 2018.
(ii) Stained Glass Windows – Anna Pearce reported on the repairs needed to the Stained Glass Windows – to conserve the Kempe Virgin and Child Lady Chapel Window, to replace six unsympathetic repairs in the East Windows, removal of the ferramenta bars that obscure the “Clayton and Bell” figures in the baptistery as well as repairs to various leadlight windows. The quotation received from Salisbury Cathedral Stained Glass was for £10,101.60 including VAT which is recoverable. The price quoted is for having all the work done at the same time. The Kempe Trust supports repairs to Kempe windows and have offered £5,000. David Butler asked if approval had been given and the PCC have agreed this. Anna has applied for a faculty for the work.
